


I Want To Know You

by a_horan



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-22
Updated: 2013-07-22
Packaged: 2017-12-21 00:49:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/893856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_horan/pseuds/a_horan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They meet on a rooftop in university.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Want To Know You

**Author's Note:**

> really shitty Marcel!Harry inspired

Since Harry started university 2 months ago, he came up with a routine. Every Friday night he would catch up on any class work he was behind with, or even start early on next weeks reading. He would then tidy up his dorm, microwave a cuppa and read a book his sister had recommended to him. So when Liam barged into his dorm room, uninvited, Harry knew his routine was going down that night.

"Come on Marcel, it's just a party! What's the worst thing that can happen," Liam questioned as he tried to drag Harry away from his desk.

"Since w-when do you call me Marcel," Harry spat back sadly as he pushed his thick rimmed glasses back up the bridge of his nose and smoothed down his already perfectly slicked back hair. 

When Harry started university in London, he thought he was going to start a new life. He wanted to move on and forget about his past in Cheshire. He wanted to forget about the jocks that would push him into lockers, the cheerleaders who threw crumpled pieces of paper into his hair during class. He wanted to forget it all. He didn't want it to follow him into university, but it did.

Harry was always different. He never went out of his way to fit in. He wore clothes that weren't deemed fashionable. He slicked back his hair in a style that no other teenage boy would do. His glasses were straight from the 80's, but Harry didn't care. He worked hard in school and got himself into university on a full scholarship. He thought he'd fit in here. He doesn't.

"Shit, Haz, sorry. Really, I didn't mean it. Fuck," Liam cursed. Liam sat down next to Harry in class on the first day and when the prof called on Liam for an answer and Harry slipped him the answer, Liam just stuck along. He realized behind Harry's awkward appearance, he is just a teenage boy trying to survive university. Probably the only teenage boy in uni who wears a sweater vest, but still human.

They aren't really sure who came up with 'Marcel', the kids in high school just called him Harold. Harry's tried to ignore it but when his prof accidentally called him Marcel during lecture the other day, Harry knew this was no better than high school. 

"Don't worry about it Liam, just go" Harry replied, avoiding Liam's eyes by fiddling with his tie. 

"Harry. I'm sorry," Liam sighed as he reached out to squeeze Harry's shoulder. 

Liam walked out of Harry's single dorm-room and he let out a sigh. His only friend in school accidentally called him the name that everyone else calls him because no one has actually asked what his real name is. 

Harry turned back to his desk and opened up his textbook. It was no use though, the music from the party down the hall was too loud. The people were too loud. Everything was too loud. He decided he needed to get some air and grabbed his scarf and mittens after throwing on a maroon sweater his mom just sent to him. He closed the door and quickly ducked out of the crowded hallway and into the stairwell, going up to the roof.

The roof was technically off limits but Harry found out that the lock on the door is busted a few weeks ago. He's been going there ever since, if he ever needs to clear his head, finish a reading in peace or give his mum a quick call, the roof is the place he goes to. 

He was standing on the edge of the roof when he felt a presence behind him. 

"Hey man, I don't know what's going on but like don't jump okay," the boy spoke.

Harry laughed. Sure, his life was full of kids making fun of him and teachers calling him the wrong name but Harry never thought about suicide. He had a future to look forward to. 

"I'm not going to jump," Harry said, still laughing. He turned around to see the boy who was trying to play hero. He was wearing a tank, even in the middle of November, snapback covering damp hair, from sweat, and awful high-topped shoes. Harry was met with a frat boy. 

"Can you please just step down, you're making me really nervous right now," the boy continued, stepping closer toward Harry, ready to catch him in case Harry was actually going to jump. 

Shrugging, Harry stepped down and leaned his back against the edge. "What are you doing up here anyway," Harry questioned. 

The boy stepped closer and said, "I could ask you the same thing."

"Wanted to clear my head and it's kind of loud on my floor. Stupid frat party or something," Harry replied.

The boy laughed this time, "Hi, I'm Niall Horan, the man behind the Stupid Frat Party going on right now."

Harry's entire face flushed. He always told himself he would never stoop as low as the people bullying him and there is goes opening his big mouth by insulting the guy who is throwing the party.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean it. It's-You're not stupid. S-sorry," Harry stammered. This always happens when he's nervous. He's been pretty good at controlling it lately but when he's uncomfortable he just can't stop the stuttering.

"Hey man, it's cool. So do you have a name or…," Niall questioned.

"H-Harry, but you might know me by Marcel," Harry replied feeling like a loser. 

"I thought you looked familiar. Not too many guys slick their hair back like that. I've heard people talking about you but I've never actually seen you around, and we live on the same floor, how does that even happen," Niall replied laughing.

Harry paled. He was the talk, or the laugh, of the school. "I've heard people talking about you" hearing that made him very uncomfortable.

"I, uh, gotta go," Harry mumbled out as he quickly walked past Niall toward the door leading inside. He opened it and didn't look back when he heard Niall calling out for him. He ran down the stairs, taking 2 at a time until he reached his floor and ran to his room, making sure to lock the door behind him.

xXx

The next morning Harry woke up to doors being slammed shut. Not 1 but 3. It was Saturday, everyone on his floor stayed in until at least 2pm. Harry knows this because he is always the first one up and walks around the dorm hallway making sure nothing is broken or damaged from the nights previous party. Their dorms have been under watch since they got there and someone decided to throw a party. No one was pleases when the fire department showed up. 

He's about to get ready for the day when he hears 3 knocks on his door. The slamming makes sense now. It's only 8am, whoever was making their way around the dorms is obviously out of their mind. Harry throws on a shirt, smooths back his hair and adjusts his glasses before answering the door. He wasn't expecting Niall to be on the other side.

"Harry, there you are. I've been knocking on every single door down the hall," Niall greeted, stepping into Harry's room without being invited in. He was wearing another dumb tank and the same snapback with sweatpants and another pair of hightop shoes.

"Uh, h-hi," Harry stammered out. He was sure he'd bump into Niall eventually, they do live in the same building, on the same floor, a bump-in in the laundry room or kitchen was bound to happen, but this, he didn't see this coming.

"Wanna go for breakfast?" Niall asked as he made himself comfortable on Harry's chair. Harry bought a nice leather chair, with wheels, before school started. He didn't want to spend hours doing homework on a wooden chair that would mess up his back. He's too young for back problems.

Harry really didn't see that coming wither. Wiping his sweaty forehead with the back of his sleeve, he answered, "Ok". 

Niall gave him a smile, one of the most beautiful smiles Harry has ever seen. Niall stood up from the chair and walked towards the door. "I'll give you a minute to change."

Harry looked down and noticed he was still in his pyjamas. If he wasn't sweating before, he is now. Of course he'd open his dorm room door wearing Spiderman pyjamas. What 18 year old boy still wears pyjamas to bed. 

Niall noticed Harry's blush and laughed, "No worries mate, my friend still wears bunny slippers around our dorm. I didn't tell you that," he walked out the door and Harry let out a sigh.

He quickly changed into his normal attire. Khakis, white dress shirt tucked in, tie and sweater vest. He combed back his hair so the curls were gone and straightened out his glasses. He slipped on his converse and met Niall outside his door. Niall pocketed his phone and lead Harry towards the elevator.

"I know this great breakfast place down the street. Best wraps in town, mate," Niall said as they stepped into the elevator.

Harry nodded and followed Niall out of the elevator and down the street. 

"So, uh, what are you taking in school," Harry questioned Niall as they opened the door to the diner. 

He was genuinely interested in Niall's answer because he's watched all the shitty American movies about college and frat parties and frat boys. The characters in the movies don't take anything but the frat seriously so he wanted to know. He was about to get an answer when he heard laughter. He looked up and there was a table of boys, frat boys, staring at Niall, giving him a thumbs up.

"Mate," one boy with tattoos littering his arms yelled, "I didn't think you'd actually be able to do it," he said as he threw his head back laughing.

"Marcel, come join us," another boy with tattoos on his arm, but darker skin, yelled across the diner.

Harry stumbled back towards the door. Of course Niall was going to set him up. Frat boys don't have things that look like boys like Harry. Frat boys don't have things with boys at all. His vision blurred a little from the tears threatening to escape. 

"Harry, I-" whatever Niall was going to say was cut off by the door of the diner closing. Harry ran back to their dorm apartment and straight to his room. He never should have agreed to breakfast. Niall was a stupid frat boy. 

Harry spent the rest of the day with his music on low, just low enough to block out the boy standing on the other side of the door, begging to let him in to explain.

xXx

Harry usually does his laundry Sunday mornings. Bright and early Sunday mornings because if he waited, all of the machines would be taken and it would ruin his day if he had to wait around for machines to be unoccupied. 

He gathered all of his clothes into his hamper, tucking his iPod in his pocket for entertainment, before he opened the door. Again, he was surprised to see Niall there. He was asleep on the floor in front of Harry's door. He set down the laundry in his room and made his way towards Niall. He nudged his foot against his side, waiting for the boy to wake up.

Blinking sleepily, Niall looked up at Harry and quickly rose to his feet, pushing the both of them into Harry's room before Harry could push him back. Niall closed and locked the door behind them. Before Harry could yell or say anything, Niall's lips were on his.

Harry pushed Niall back, tears brimming his eyes again. First Niall sets him up to be laughed at, now he steals Harry's first kiss. Harry quickly wiped the tear from under his glasses and asked "What do you want from me. You've humiliated me enough, Niall," Harry stammered out.

Niall wiped his face with his hands. "I didn't mean for yesterday to happen, I'm so sorry. When I got back to the party on Friday night I told my friends I met you on the roof and they didn't believe me. It wasn't a set up. They just didn't think you'd actually say yes to going with me," Niall explained.

"He called me Marcel," is all Harry said as he fiddled with the end of his sweater.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I told them not to. Fuck. This isn't what I wanted," Niall sighed.

"What did you want," Harry questioned. He was actually really curious. Niall actually seemed like a good guy. He tried to help Harry when he thought he was going to jump off the roof. He actually called him by his name. He invited him for breakfast. He slept outside Harry's room so he could explain. 

"I want to get to know you. I don't know if you realized, but you're different. It's refreshing. I don't know. Everyone here is the same, that's why I went to the roof on Friday night. Every Friday night is the same for me and I'm tired of it. Then when I saw you on the edge, I thought you were going to jump. I've heard people talking about you, you know. No one really knows you and I saw you there and thought 'this is it. he's ending his life because people here are assholes'. I couldn't let that happen. I just want to know you, Harry," Niall explained.

Harry's never had someone show interest in him. They always stick a label on him because of the way he looks. They never take the time to get to know him. 

"Ok," Harry replied, small grin escaping.

"Ok," Niall breathed out as he stepped closer towards Harry. "I'm going to kiss you again though. Just tell me when to stop," Niall said before stepping into Harry's personal space.

Harry laughed and nodded his head. Maybe university wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
